In Darkest Knight
by Baronvonblack
Summary: The night is darkest before the dawn, but the dawn is still coming. And in the wizarding world's darkest hour, a symbol of justice in the form of a bat, will rise.
1. Chapter 1

"_Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Vernon?" Petunia whispered to her husband as they watched the approaching black car. _

_Beside them was a very young boy of about four or five. He was terribly frail, and dressed in rags, but his brilliant, bright green eyes betrayed a youthful, naïve innocence._

_And on their other side, was their son – extremely pudgy, he already began to resemble his father in many ways._

_As the car stopped to a halt beside them, a woman stepped out, dressed in a comfortable, silk red shirt and gray pants. Her dark hair was cropped short, and her eyes, although cool and formal, were hard and only faintly represented her status in the world._

"_Of course it is, dear," Vernon replied in a hushed tone. "This way, we will get rid of the freak and won't have to worry about him for the majority of the year."_

"_But the freak is good at doing the chores," Petunia whispered. "Think of how much time we'll save…"_

_The lady cleared her throat briefly, making Vernon and Petunia jump. Unknowing to them, her eyes had narrowed slightly at hearing what they had to say in whispered conversation. "So which boy do you want me to take?"_

_Petunia nudged forward the frail boy. "This one – his name is fre…Harry. Harry Potter. We were assigned to take care of him."_

"_Very well, then." She nodded briefly at him. "Come with me then, Harry."_

"_Where am I going, Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked with wide, curious eyes._

"_Don't speak unless spoken to!" Petunia snapped before realizing the relevance of his question. What if….his kind came looking for him? "But our details are sketchy at best…exactly what does your school do?"_

_The lady smiled coolly. "Oh, it's a school to keep boys…disciplined, shall we say. At the moment we have only a few, but our numbers are steadily growing." That of course was a lie – there was no school._

"_Then you can take him – how long does the course last?"_

"_He'll be back by the time he's ten or eleven – and don't worry, he'll be much different." _

_Harry took the lady's hand unsteadily as they walked to her car._

_As the lady started driving, with Harry in the front seat, he asked curiously, "Excuse me, miss, but I don't know your name?"  
"I am Lady Shiva," the martial arts grandmaster replied curtly. "But for the time we spend together, you are to call me master or teacher."_

--

"Incompetent fools!" Antonin Dolohov snapped at the fearful Death Eaters. "The Dark Lord will have my head for this!"

They were standing in the middle of what they thought was a safe house for an important Ministry official attempting to push forth the notion that their Lord was back – one that the Dark Lord himself had ordered to be killed on sight – he could not afford any chance of him escaping.

Instead of a safe house, it was merely a vacant shack.

He growled again in anger before finally snapping, pointing his wand at a pitiful-looking follower. _"Crucio!" _

The rookie Death Eater fell on the floor, screaming in pain for a full minute before Antonin released it, his blood still boiling but not getting the best of him.

Suddenly the lights flickered out.

He frowned before raising his wand and casting the _lumos _charm.

It didn't work.

The rest of the Death Eaters were also shocked as the light charm was ineffective.

There was a muffled sound as a Death Eater screamed before it became silent once more.

Antonin spun around, wand at the ready before another muffled thud signaled the fall of another Death Eater.

The Death Eaters looked around wildly in confusion – they were like a bunch of idiotic ducks.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Antonin shouted. "Spread out and find them!"

A dark shape leapt out of the shadows.

"Batman!" Antonin gasped, pointing his wand.

The group of Death Eaters screamed as they wildly sent about dark curses, hitting each other more frequently than they were missing Batman as he leapt in and out, his form a black blur.

Several Death Eaters screamed as they went flying back from a powerful mid-air spinning kick, followed by an elbow to the stomach of another and another roundhouse kick that knocked some more Death Eaters off their feet.

Antonin pointed his wand, giving off a low growl as he attempted to aim at the dark knight, but finding only the wild crowd of incompetents. _"Reducto!"_

The spell flew completely through the crowd, actually taking out quite a large portion of Death Eaters.

As Batman finished off the last one, he turned around, white lidless eyes seemingly able to bore into the cold soul of the Inner Circle Death Eater.

An aura of icy air seemed to surround him as he walked across, the shadows obscuring his shape.

Antonin had heard of him before, of course, but never believed that he would have the sheer dumb luck to actually get attacked by him!

Well it did make sense – most of the high-ranking Death Eaters had been taken into custody by him after all.

Raising his wand, Antonin growled. _"Avada…"_

He gasped in shock as Batman twisted his hand out, a cable snatching onto his wand and wrenching it out of his grip.

Batman scrutinized it for a moment before gripping it tightly and snapping it.

Rage coursed through him as he screamed. "My wand! How dare…"

"Antonin Dolohov," Batman recited from memory, shutting the Death Eater up with his gravelly, harsh voice. "63 years old. One of Lord Voldemort's first followers – tortured many non-magical beings and opponents of Voldemort's reign during the First war. Captured and sentenced to Azkaban but escaped in a mass breakout." His white eyes narrowed.

"Shut up!" Antonin snarled as he charged forward with a fist raised.

Batman raised his hand as he caught the Death Eater's fist easily, bending it back as it snapped like a matchstick before twisting him around and forcing him to the ground.

"And now under Lord Voldemort's active service roster," Batman finished. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't gut your stomach right now?"

"Freak!" Antonin spat angrily. "The Dark Lord will find you and kill you! He will make you beg to die!"

Batman pulled him up and rushed forward, slamming him into the wall with a heavy shudder.

The Death Eater looked in horror at the face of the Batman in the moonlight.

He had no mouth – the only thing that suggested his face was even vaguely humanoid was the slight upturning of the shape of a nose. His eyes glowed a dim, pale white, and at the top of his head, two elongated spikes like the ears of a bat were on each side.

"I want you to tell your half-blood master this," Batman growled, his dark face pressing into Antonin's. "He's not getting his own way anymore. Everybody's sitting by and doing nothing, so that's where I come in. The Batman's going to take him down."

With that, he smashed his head into him, knocking him unconscious.

--

"We found all these Death Eaters unconscious," Remus confessed as Dumbledore arrived on the scene. "I can't believe it – all of them are just babbling on and on about 'the Batman' or whimpering like little children. Some of them are quite important to Voldemort in some ways or another."

Dumbledore adjusted his glasses. "I see. Then if there is nothing else, I believe, then we should leave this to the Aurors."

The Order had arrived nearly a few minutes ago, and they were securing the site and rounding up all the Death Eaters. This was a considerably easy task, especially as they were all unconscious.

"And there's something else," Remus added wearily, pointing to around the house. "Follow me."

As they came around, Dumbledore looked on in genuine shock.

Antonin Dolohov was mounted to the wall of the house via thick metal binders, unconscious. Large, leathery cloths cut into the shape of wings were strapped to the full lengths of his arms.

The old Headmaster looked up, gazing intently at the glowing, ghostly bat-shaped symbol in the sky, before turning to the werewolf. "Leave him to the Aurors – I believe that our task here has been completed for us."

"But Albus, who is this Batman?" Remus implored. "Is he here to help us? Is he even on our side?"

"I believe the evidence is all before us, Remus," Albus replied. "This 'Batman' does not kill and is attacking Death Eaters – is that clear enough?"

"Yes sir, but still…" Lupin trailed off, not exactly knowing what he could say to make his thoughts clear.

"I understand, Remus that an unknown force that has entered the fray is potentially dangerous, but for the time being he appears to be on our side. That does not mean we should let our guard down. I will call an emergency Order meeting tomorrow night, then we can discuss the appearance of our new vigilante." Dumbledore turned around, and disappeared with a pop.

--

"…And then Batman swoops in, and bang! Knocks out all the Death Eaters, saves the Aurors' lives and flies off!" Ron exclaimed to Seamus and Neville as they listened intently.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, come off it Ron – for all we know, the Batman could very well be just a vampire or an illusion!"

"Yeah, Ron," Harry added with a wry smile. "Who really goes around dressed like a giant bat, beating up Death Eaters and saving people? We've already got one major nutcase on the loose." As he swallowed his toast, he hastily added, "Not that it matters. The more Death Eaters we capture the better."

Ron shot him a poisonous look while Hermione merely gave him one of those 'I-told-you-so' ones.

Neville shook his head. "It does seem hard to believe, but it's not like Death Eaters are catching themselves, right?"  
"And the Daily Prophet's not calling Harry or Professor Dumbledore a liar anymore," Seamus added.

"Yeah, Harry!" Ron said. "You should be thanking Batman because he saved you from a year of everybody calling you a liar."

As the Gryffindors finished up breakfast, Hermione glanced at her watch. "We've wasted enough time – we're going to be late for Defense against the Dark Arts!"

"And it's time to see whether 'Professor Umbridge' really is all that she put herself up to be in that little speech of hers," Harry murmured under his breath as they walked back to the Common Room.

--

"Greetings, class!" Umbridge acknowledged with a high-pitched, falsely sweet voice as they filed in. "Put your wands away – we'll be doing theory today."

Several students groaned as they put their robes into their bags, pockets or a variety of different places.

"This is your OWL years, and the Ministry places great importance on your OWLs," Umbridge flicked her wand as papers and books flew onto her students' desks. "Those are parchments outlining the course that we shall cover, and also this book is the one we will be using. Now, I'd like you all to turn to the first chapter and begin reading."

As the first few minutes passed Hermione immediately raised her hand.

"Have you finished the first chapter, Miss Granger?"

"Professor Umbridge – in the course sheet you gave us…aren't we going to be doing any practical magic at all?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"Of course not, Miss Granger. Once you know the theory, the practical will be fine. You'll do perfectly alright in your OWL examinations."

Harry gave off a strangled cough, which suspiciously sounded like restrained laughter – thankfully Umbridge didn't notice it.

"Then what about Voldemort?" Ron asked with a frown.

Several students gave off shudders or gasps at the utterance of that name.

"Ten points from Gryffindor from not raising your hand, Mr.…ah…Weasley!" the teacher scolded. "And those rumours concerning the resurrection of You-Know-Who are false." She then looked pointedly at Harry, who seemed to be blissfully in his own little world. "They are lies!"

"But that's ridiculous!" Seamus Finnegan burst out. "Even the Daily Prophet acknowledges that there's strong evidence to support You-Know-Who's back! Especially with Batman…"

"Thirty points from Gryffindor!" Umbridge snapped. "And detention, for both of you! You-Know-Who returning is a lie! Batman is a fabrication of the media! Death Eaters are not on the move! Now return to your books, before I remove a hundred points from any student who dares disrupt again!"

With that every student's head snapped back to appearing to read the useless textbook.

--

Harry sat silently in his temporary headquarters, contemplating his day's lessons.

The other lessons were as normal, but the DADA lesson was surprising, even if he expected nothing more from Fudge's personal undersecretary. If Voldemort ever went to open war, Hogwarts' students wouldn't have a chance, especially with all the teaching they had over the years.

The bat symbol started flashing on his laptop, which was wired up to a boxy external hard-drive for extra power and storage space. Harry frowned as he typed in a few keys.

A window popped up, with information coming in at a rapid rate.

Harry stood up with a sigh, glancing to the laptop's digital clock – it would be another late night after all.

The Harry Potter who had been in Hogwarts all these years was a fake.

Not truly a fake, but a mask for the true personality underneath.

Some would call it sheer dumb luck that he survived so many attempts on his life. It would appear that way, but if you ever looked closer, everything seemed too…perfectly orchestrated to be true.

Harry Potter was a mask for the warrior who was born a dark night as he was beaten and called worthless in his relatives' house.

No one ever noticed his growing muscles, mostly because nobody ever looked closely. Even at Hogwarts, Harry frequently wore his school robes, and outside, long-sleeved shirts.

Only Madam Pomfrey, really, and she kept her mouth shut – 'patient confidentiality' and all that like.

The first year – he had secretly practised his magic in whatever classrooms were empty. Harry moved around frequently, sparingly using his invisibility cloak. Those times he had been caught out of curfew, he could do nothing as Ron and Hermione were with him.

The second year – it was a relatively easy matter to escape those window bars, although he did it rarely, only twice in fact. Replacing them was even easier, and Ron or the twins never bothered to look closely to see the flimsy nails in place. His training became even more intense when he realised that something else was attacking the school, but it was even more difficult to sneak out at curfew, do physical training in the morning or find a quiet place to study up on his muggle books. It wouldn't do for his 'average housebroken male student' look.

The third year was considerably better, especially as all the others were at Hogsmeade. The marauders' map was a blessing, making it even easier to sneak around after curfew, albeit sneaking around with a supposed maniacal murderer on the loose.

And the fourth year was a complete shamble – what with everything happening. Cedric's death and his own slowness in acting caused him to disappear completely for the summer with his relatives' bribed to act like he was still there, returning just in time for the Weasleys to pick him up.

And now the Dark Knight had risen – his master would be proud.

He pressed his finger on his watch's digital screen for a few moments before it blinked and flashed green briefly.

Across from him, his bat-cycle's camouflage system disengaged as it reappeared out of thin air, the powerful engine roaring to life.

He ran across to the black machine, opening up a hidden compartment in the rear end and pulling out his suit.

The suit felt extremely heavy even though it seemed relatively thin and flexible. As he donned the mask, the whole thing dragged on his body until he pressed a button on his utility belt.

Instantly there was a quiet hiss as the suit molded itself to his body. His optical lenses came to life as they glowed a dim white, filled with computer readouts and information, and the suit seemed to expand slightly as it hardened to become vastly stronger to steel.

His cape drew out to its full length behind him – but it didn't seem like cloth or any material. It almost seemed like a pair of leathery, folded wings…

Batman gracefully mounted the bat-cycle, lowering his body down so his head was inches away from the computer display.

The powerful lights illuminated his exit as he powered the bat-cycle down the Chamber of Secrets, a two hundred metre stretch of tunnels and corridors before exiting out through another secret entrance that lead into a clearing in the Forbidden Forest.

As soon as he saw the moonlit sky, he accelerated the magically-charged engines to their maximum velocity as the bat-cycle lifted up, flying through the clouds and disappearing completely from sight.

--


	2. Chapter 2

"_An assassin is rarely heard, but never seen," Lady Shiva advised into the shadows. "Remember your skills are nothing if you are seen." _

_An instant later, there was a dull crack and a yell. _

_The grandmaster didn't bat an eye as several of her older students were thrown out of the darkness, bruised and scarred._

_A young boy of about six or seven emerged from the shadows calmly. He was wearing a dark Tengu mask, and was dressed all in black. His bronze gauntlets gleamed dully in the flames of the torchlight._

_The older students were in their teenage years – some were nearing manhood, even. They quickly got back up, moving back into their fighting stances._

_Lady Shiva raised one hand and they reluctantly relaxed. _

_She looked levelly at her youngest student, whose emotions were obscured behind the mask as he stood still, muscles slightly tensed and on alert. "Good," she said simply._

--

"You look tired, Harry," Hermione commented.

"Yeah, mate, you look beat!" Ron said as he munched on a piece of toast. "What's up, you had another vision?"

Hermione quickly shot Ron a dirty look, and the redhead quickly shut his mouth.

Harry, who was still rubbing at the dark circles under his eyes, laughed it off and shook his head. "It's nothing, Hermione. I just had a late night, that's all."

"Yeah, you can talk." Ron said sarcastically as he raised up his hand. "Look what dear old Umbridge made me do."

"It's 'Professor' Umbridge, and you should really…" Hermione held her hand up to her mouth in shock. "Dear God, she made you use a blood quill!"  
Harry frowned at the red scarring that clearly said 'I will not tell lies'. "Whoa – I'd expect that from Filch, but a Ministry representative?"

"You don't understand the severity of it, Ron!" Hermione said, still quite pale. "I read in the _An Unauthorised History of Magic _book that Harry gave me, that those are classified under dark torture instruments!"

"Blimey!" Ron gasped, looking at his hand like it had the plague. "That bi…"

"We need to tell Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said quickly, already half out of her seat.

In the blink of an eye Harry had grabbed her by the wrist. "No, that wouldn't be a good idea."

Hermione eyed him warily. How did he move so quickly? But then she quickly assumed that it was because of his Quidditch training. "Why? It's obvious that she's doing something illegal, so…"

"And she's also Fudge's personal undersecretary," Harry said in annoyance. "Fudge does not trust Dumbledore – at all. If we took this to the Headmaster and he talked to Fudge, then the Minister would probably laugh in his face and put in more Ministry representatives."

Hermione thought about it for a moment. "Yeah…I guess you're right. But that doesn't mean I don't agree with it!" she snapped immediately.

"Hey, here come the owls!" Ron announced as a myriad of different owls came flying in through the hall.

A small brown owl carrying the _Daily Prophet _came flying in towards Ron. He dropped a knut into the owl's small pouch, and his eyes widened as he looked at the headline. "No way! Look at this!"

He showed the headline to Harry and Hermione.

_**THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN! POTENTIAL DEATH EATER ATTACK FOILED!**_

_Ministry Aurors were shocked once again to find a large group of Death Eaters, bound and tied, with what is now being labeled as the 'Bat-signal' looming in the sky. _

_After interrogation with Veritaserum, it was revealed that they were meant to be a surprise attack upon the unsuspecting muggle town, and to withdraw quickly before wizards came to their aid. _

_However most shocking of all was that one of the Death Eaters confirmed the revival of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. If this is the case, then why does the Ministry of Magic continue to deny his existence? Why then, do they brand the sole witness to his rebirth, Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world, a liar?_

"Never minding they supported the notion for a few months running," Harry muttered. "Well this should set Magical Britain into uproar."

Hermione still was shaking her head. "I still don't get it – why would You-Know-Who attack so early? Surely he would still want to keep it a secret?"

"Maybe it's a show of power," Harry mused. "Or maybe it was to attract more followers to their cause, to show that Death Eaters were on the move again – even without Voldemort alive, people would still be flocking to them. Voldemort never does anything without a good reason though."

He never would have believed it, even though his satellites told him. Voldemort was on the move again – but for what? What was he to gain by attacking random towns, at this early point in the war?

Batman did not like unsolved mysteries.

--

Again it was another miserable DADA lesson. Ron, yet again, got a detention, as did several other students from Gryffindor from the absurdity of the Ministry's unbelief in the resurrection of Voldemort.

Snape yet again reminded him of how much he hated him by taking forty points off Gryffindor for a ridiculously unfounded reason of attempting to spoil Malfoy's work. Harry didn't even bother to dignify him with a response – he was sick and tired of pretending to be an angry little teenager when he was not.

The mission was all that mattered.

Harry stared at the dark mask in his hands. It was soulless and black now, the eye-lenses dull and deactivated.

This was who he was. This was his real face.

He sighed, putting the mask back into the bat-cycle's secret compartment before exiting the Chamber of Secrets.

It had been hell trying to use muggle technology in a magical environment. Originally he tried to find a way to protect the muggle electronics from magic, but later on he found a different alternative.

The reason muggle electronics didn't work was because magic was an unknown form of energy. This energy entered the electronics and overloaded them because of the wild nature of magic as an energy source.

But by analyzing the properties of magic, or rather, environmental magic, Harry found it an easy matter to combine the two together, using magic as an energy source. Of course it was rather delicate, considering that too much magic would completely fry the circuits, but by keeping it tight and contained, a direct flow of energy in proportioned amounts, he found they worked in perfect combination.

He rubbed unconsciously at his seemingly inconspicuous watch, which was really a remote to the bat-cycle.

At the moment, everything was going well, but even so…he was still only one. However much protection the suit gave him, he could be wounded, tortured or killed. Batman was not one, but a symbol, an ideal. How could that ideal survive if the only one who knew it perished?

Ron was too much of a loudmouth. Hermione, however knowledgeable she was, was not entirely dependable.

The twins? That was a definite possibility, considering their status as pranksters, and their genius would be rather useful in making new tools. However much their aid would be appreciated though, he needed serious, practical products.

Neville was an unknown – he definitely was talented and skilled, but would his self-worth allow him to reach his full potential? There was a definitive risk in that.

And this Luna Lovegood was another unknown. Although, at face value she seemed a complete lunatic, there was something…off about her personality. It seemed like a mask, just as Harry Potter was a mask as well.

Ginny Weasley? He didn't need a groupie trying to help him.

He rubbed his chin, deep in thought as he went to dinner.

--

"All of you are good for nothing!" Voldemort snapped, pointing his wand at the nearest Death Eater. _"Crucio!"  
_As the wizard lay screaming at his feet, all the others kept low, kissing the hem of his robes. "We're sorry, my lord…" one stammered. "But Batman…"

"BATMAN!" Voldemort thundered, the magic around him crackling wildly. "He is one man, using muggle means of attack. One killing curse is all it takes." He sat back down on his throne again, deep in thought. "It seems we must accelerate our plans. Gather all of our top Death Eaters. We attack Azkaban tomorrow night."

"But m-my lord!" Another stammered. "Azkaban is a fortress! How could we…"  
"Do not question me," Voldemort snapped, raising his wand. _"Crucio!"_

--

Harry opened his eyes, deep in thought over this latest vision.

Over the years, as he progressed in Occlumency, he found that he could mask his presence within Voldemort's mind much more efficiently. He didn't push it though – if he dug too deep, Voldemort would become alerted to his presence.

The Dark Lord had his own strong Occlumency shields, but it was times like these in extreme emotion – that Harry broke through, watched everything calmly, and left.

Should the Batman make a show? Or should he leave this to Dumbledore?

Dumb question. Of course Batman would still be there, as an invisible observer and silent guardian.

If he was using the Batmobile, he would be able to easily fly across to the prison at incredible speeds and fly back without a problem. The Bat-cycle, however portable it was, didn't have that kind of sheer velocity.

And even worse, he didn't have any exact time from Voldemort.

A person who was able to cover for him seemed VERY handy right about now…

"It seems I'll be having another late night," Harry mused as he stood up to get dressed and go to the Headmaster's office.

--

Batman stood a night later atop the tip of one of the highest towers in Azkaban, watching over the grey and solemn prison with pale, soulless eyes.

His cape, which appeared more to be like wings, ruffled slightly in the icy wind, but nothing seemed to faze him, not even the driving rain and cracks of lightning as he stood unnoticed among the granite, gargoyle statues that decorated the peaks of the wizarding world's most famous prison.

His friends would be baffled now that he had 'inconspicuously disappeared', but he would make a good excuse later.

Looking through the optical lenses of his mask, with a slight thought they instantly changed to the ghostly green world of night vision. There was a dull whir as they zoomed in, then flicked to thermal vision. Several red heat signatures immediately registered as they headed towards the entrance.

Why? Why attack now? It seemed so illogical, so unlike the crafty plans that Batman had expected of Voldemort over the years. It seemed too brash, too rushed.

Something was going on.

With a graceful leap, Batman began freefalling down the many spires and towers, quickly formulating a plan.

He noted the presence of several members of the Order of the Phoenix as they camped around the entrance, with the Aurors. The Dementors had left long ago – would they attack also? (Another piece of evidence of Voldemort's return that Fudge had seemingly 'ignored')

He stretched his arms as his 'wings' activated, letting him glide easily with the wind.

Batman landed feet first, and engaging the suit's stealth mode, he raised an arm, a batarang suddenly appearing in his hand.

These new batarangs were improved greatly with magic upon the ones he originally used. Not only were they unbreakable, but went much faster and further. They compacted much easier and Batman found that he could make virtually any throw, however far or wide as long as it was within reasonable distance. Wind only slightly affected its flight path now and he easily readjusted his throw to accommodate these new features, courtesy of magic.

He drew his hand back and threw it.

The batarang sliced through the air, and one of the Death Eaters gave a small yell as their wand was wrenched out of their grip.

Within an instant the Aurors and the Order were on alert, wands raised.

It only took a few minutes before Moody, ever the smart one, shouted out _"Finite Incantatem!" _

Once the Death Eaters were revealed, then the battle begun.

Batman raised an arm as his grapple fired, embedding itself into a gargoyle statue as he pulled himself up to a higher vantage point to observe the battle.

The combined forces of the Order and Aurors were able to overcome the Death Eaters, but Batman immediately realised something was wrong.

_They're rookies. _Batman observed, looking at their cumbersome efforts and pitiful-looking dark curses, easily dodged by the opposition. He looked up, reactivating his thermal vision and scanning around him. _No one. But then that means…_

His eyes widened as he dropped down, sneaking in through the entrance.

He had made sure to memorise the prison layout and plans easily obtained from the Ministry, and knew all the high-ranking Death Eaters were being kept on one floor.

As he went to the magically-charmed elevator, he cursed to find that it wasn't working.

His mind's gears quickly started whirring as he looked up, grabbing a dark, metallic sphere from his belt, depressing an invisible button and throwing it up.

There was a sudden explosion as the magical explosive punched easily through the elevator roof. Batman looked up the shaft, quickly recalling what floor the Death Eaters were on.

His thruster boots ignited, allowing him to easily fly up the shaft. He hovered briefly at the floor as they deactivated, and Batman stepped onto the edge of the metal doors.

He growled as he pressed a button on his gauntlet. The bat-symbol emblazoned across his chest suddenly started glowing a dull red as he pushed his fingers into the doors and began to force them apart, inch by inch.

With the help of his suit, he pushed them completely to the side and jumped in, deactivating the neuro-muscular enhancements and reactivating his stealth system quickly.

Lucius frowned as he walked out to see the elevator open. He glanced around, but seeing as there was no one there he returned.

"What's the matter, Lucius?" Snape asked as he returned. "The Dark Lord expressly required that you were to stay and guard our exit."  
"I thought I heard a sound," he muttered before pulling the silver mask back over his face. "However it was nothing."

"So has our lord informed you of any of his plans?" Snape asked as they waited.

Lucius shook his head. "He is being especially quiet about it – I suppose after the first war, we must regain his trust once again."

"Does that mean he will tell his plans to the likes of Bellatrix Lestrange?" Snape sneered. "I saw her – being in Azkaban has obviously demented her further, as she is now completely insane. There is no hope for her."

"That's ridiculous!" Lucius snapped. "Bella once was a Black, as you recall, and the Blacks are renowned for their stubbornness and strength. If anyone is able to survive Azkaban, it will be Bella!"

Snape gave off a strangled yell as he was smashed into the side of the wall and knocked unconscious.

"_Finite Incantatem!" _Lucius yelled, but nothing appeared. An invisibility cloak, then?

He gasped as someone with strong fingers grabbed his throat, forcing him into the wall.

His face went pale as a dark face with pointed ears and white ears appeared, albeit upside down. "No! The Bat…"

"Where's Voldemort?!" Batman growled in his harshest voice.

"He's…not…here…" Lucius managed out in between his chokes.

"I know he's not," Batman snapped, tightening his grip. Typical of Voldemort to send his lackeys to do the job. "So where is he hiding? I'm not a very patient man…"

"Ri…Rid…"

Batman smashed his fist into Lucius's face after ripping off his Death Eater mask. _As I thought – Riddle Manor._

He quickly tied him and Snape up, leaving them for the Order or the Aurors to find, before running through the corridors and into the cells.

The cells as he immediately noticed, was a stark contrast from the ground floor. While the ground floor was polished, sleek and very orderly, this place was filthy, messy and dark. There was a foul stench running through the air, and Batman was thankful that his mask had air filters inside it.

It seemed that the battle was decisive – Aurors lay dead all around, with no sign of death – a clear marker of the killing curse.

Batman glanced around the cells briefly, but saw that they were unlocked with the Death Eaters long gone. Briefly he cursed himself for not seeing it sooner, but wondered how they were able to get in? He had been watching over the outside, though…

An inside job.

He thought back to Lucius, who was still unconscious and safely tied up. Likely the Malfoy had used his influence to get them in.

Well thankfully he wouldn't be causing anymore harm – and if he could get some more Death Eaters, then this escape might be able to benefit him also.

As he moved along, a delighted cackling and the sounds of a man screaming caught his ear.

With his suit's camouflage, he sneaked down to the next row of cells.

"Oh, is the big bad Auror hurt?" Bellatrix taunted, holding the man with the cruciatus curse. She twisted her wand, putting more power into the torture curse until the man finally gave out, breaking down and crying. "Here, let Auntie Bellatrix make it all better for you…"

"Bellatrix!" Yaxley yelled as they finished unlocking all the cells. "Stop now! We have to go! The Dark Lord specifically requires that you be there…"

At once Batman leapt into action.

Delivering a spin kick, he disarmed Bellatrix and threw her across the corridor – there was a sickening crack as she collided with the wall in shock and fell, dazed.

"Lestrange! Get…oof!"

Batman tackled Yaxley, raising him above his head with both arms as Death Eaters began pouring in.

It was at this moment that Batman deactivated his stealth – to them, it would seem like he appeared out of thin air.

There were several gasps. "Batman…"

Batman brought the meager body of the Death Eater down on his knee as the man screamed – there was another crack as his spine shattered.

Just because someone never killed didn't mean they weren't to put criminals 'out of action', as it was.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _The Death Eaters all cried in unison.

Batman pulled a device from his belt, and activated it as they were halfway into saying the incantation.

The world plunged into darkness as the magical lights were all extinguished, and the killing curses went completely all over the place.

This little device was one of Batman's most useful assets. It sent out a burst of darkness-covering magic that cancelled out any lights, electrical or magical, for a set period of time. Better yet, the _lumos _charm was completely ineffective.

"_Lumos. LUMOS!" _One shaking Death Eater yelled.

"Where are you?!" Amycus Carrow cried, looking frantically around.

A massive, booming, reverberating voice echoed throughout the cells. "Who are you more afraid of – your 'lord' of the darkness…or the darkness itself?"

At this, there was a sudden yelp and a scream as one of the Death Eaters fell.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _Another panicked Death Eater squeaked, but the curse seemed to disappear into the darkness.

"Or better yet…" the voice questioned, "What are you more afraid of? Something that you can see and fight? Or something that you can't see…"  
There was another scream as another Death Eater fell.

"…Something that's all around you?"

There was a series of thuds and yells and something that sounded like the rustling of cloth, as the lights flickered back on.

Alecto Carrow screamed as she saw the majority of the Death Eaters dangling upside down, wrapped in a strange, leathery black cloth – her brother among them. "No! You freak! The Dark Lord will kill you!" she turned around, her wand in hand. "Or better yet…I will…so where are you?" she spun around and her eyes widened as she came face-to-face with white, soulless eyes.

"Here."

Batman grabbed her by the throat, raising her above his head. "So where are the escapees? Back in Voldemort's playpen?"

"You're too late," Alecto spat. "The greatest of the Inner Circle are long gone!"

"And how were you meant to escape? Portkeys?" Batman growled.

Alecto shivered at his harsh tone but stiffened. "I'll never tell a freak like you!"

Batman's eyes narrowed, but quickly caught sight of a necklace dangling inside her robe.

He pulled it out, tossing her to the side as he examined it briefly before putting it in his utility belt.

He then turned, striding powerfully and gracefully across to where Bellatrix was starting to stir.

As many would know, Bellatrix had gone completely cuckoo during her time in Azkaban.

The Batman had many files on her – of her great skill, intelligence, and beauty in her younger years. She married into the Lestranges simply because it was 'proper'. Her time serving the Dark Lord meant she had walked deeper and deeper into the depths of evil.

For a moment, he wondered why this hollowed shell had dedicated her life to him. To delight in the torture of others – was it because she truly hated muggles, or was it something deeper? Was it because she craved power?

Bellatrix groaned as she woke up before looking up at him, her eyes widening in shock.

The Batman looked terrifying as he stood by a window over her. Tall and powerful, streaks of lightning briefly illuminated his shape, and the bat-symbol emblazoned across his chest.

For another moment, as the Batman pondered over her, he wondered whether he should hand her in again. She would be a great threat later in the future, he knew. However whatever Voldemort obviously wanted, it would involve her in the near future and to let her be recaptured would mean that Voldemort would change plans again – perhaps even attempting another mass breakout.

He simply turned around and threw another batarang, shattering the glass of the window. Droplets of rain splashed onto his suit as he leapt out, wings outstretched as he caught the wind, gliding over the island of Azkaban.


	3. Chapter 3

_The eight year old boy paused briefly as he surveyed his opponents. _

_He looked at them, observing their posture, stances and expressions, regarding all of this information wearily._

_The first opponent must've had too much to eat, as he was suffering from a slight stomach cramp._

_The second was extremely tired._

_The third suffered from a horrible and sloppy fighting stance._

_From behind his Tengu mask, he watched them move._

_They fanned out, attempting to corner him in a triangular format._

_The first one leapt up – the boy easily shifted his feet, moving out of the way of the flying sidekick before counter with a powerful uppercut and a punch to his stomach – cruel, but it would get the job done._

_The second yelled, drawing back his fist for a powerful blow…_

_Which he would never finish. The boy drove forward with a thrusting kick, knocking the man off-balance and finishing with a low spin-kick._

_The last was intercepted before he could even react – a powerful spear kick knocked him unconscious._

_Lady Shiva watched all this unblinkingly, before walking forward. "You are the only one who has learnt this style so quickly," she observed. "You have done in several years what many could not do in a lifetime."_

--

"We have already discussed the issue of this 'Batman' previously in a meeting," Dumbledore began, "But it seems I have underestimated his involvement. From what it appears Batman was also involved in the apprehension of Lucius Malfoy and a multitude of other Death Eaters, although many escapees got away."

Snape gave off a slight cough at this – Dumbledore had thankfully been able to get him away before the Ministry arrived on the scene, otherwise his position would be compromised.

"Severus here has had direct involvement with the Batman," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps he may shed some light on this character's nature?"

Snape stood up in obvious annoyance, and sneered as many of the Order members gave him strong glares. "I was caught off-guard and knocked to the side. From what I gathered, he attacks hand-to-hand and rarely, if ever, uses magic. This does not mean…" he added sharply as many of them were about to speak, "That he is weak. Rather, his independence of magic makes him an unpredictable fighter. He seems to be adept at stealth as I did not hear him behind me, and neither did Lucius. One knock was all it took, indicating that he was extremely strong and precise." With that he sat back down again.

"Miss Tonks also may have shed some light – an object of a very peculiar nature was recovered during the outside attack." With that, Dumbledore pulled out from the folds of his robes the batarang.

"Albus, that's a very peculiar device!" Arthur exclaimed. "Why, I've never seen a muggle use anything like it!"

"It seems to be used to throw," Albus observed as he turned it over. "The craftsmanship is unmistakable – it was made by hand." He took out his wand, casting a few detection charms on it. "Muggle tools, as I see no magical-crafting methods. There are a variety of charms on it also…unbreakable charm…oh my!"

He dropped it suddenly as the batarang began to hiss and crackle – soon it was no more than a black puddle.

"Seems our Batman doesn't want us knowing how he works," Moody said with a twisted grin. "I only know that he helped us locate those Death Eaters. Nevertheless, he's good – very good."

"That's high praise, coming from you, Alastor," Remus said. "I've checked with the werewolves, and it seems that even many of our kind fear him."

"Is he a vampire, then?" Dumbledore asked.

Remus shook his head. "His scent was unmistakable, according to one – she said he was definitely not a werewolf, nor a vampire. It was quite hard to tell from there."

"Thank you, Remus," Dumbledore said. "Are there any suggestions?"

"I believe that it's hard with just one madman on the loose," Molly snapped. "We should get the Aurors to arrest him immediately!"

"Do not forget, Molly, that he saved Harry from a year of hardship and mocking for his story of Voldemort's revival," Dumbledore reminded. "If anything, we should be thanking him."

"Even if he is a madman, he's too skilled and unpredictable," Snape remarked. "The Dark Lord fears him greatly."  
Dumbledore looked at him sharply. "Are you sure of this?"

"He is accelerating many of his plans," Snape replied. "In particular, he is attempting to quickly secure the loyalty of the giants, and is beginning to hire assassins to kill Batman."

"I say just leave him," Moody barked. "Batman obviously doesn't want to see Voldemort win the war. If we give him information, he might be able to work even better!"

"I did not join this Order to consult with masked vigilantes!" Molly yelled. "I say we capture him and hand him over to the Aurors!"

Was there any reason why Molly Weasley was this touchy over Batman? Yes, there was, but you'll see later.

Sirius stood up, an idea suddenly sparking in his head. "What if we get in contact with him? If he's able to capture Pettigrew, we'll be able to prove my innocence!"

There were murmurs among the Order as they considered this plan.

"And how, do you propose, do we get into contact with him?" Dumbledore asked. "As much as each of us would like to prove your innocence," Snape gave off a sneer at this, "He comes and goes wherever he pleases. I doubt that he would concentrate all his efforts on catching one Death Eater."

--

"…_On catching one Death Eater."_

Harry deactivated the bat-tracer, which he had planted on Dumbledore's robes. His bat-tracers were small microchip bugs that had vastly increased range when powered with magic. They dissolved harmlessly away when he had finished using them.

"Giants?" Harry thought aloud. While it was true that his suit had neuromuscular enhancements, they put too much drain on the batsuit's power when activated over an extended period of time. Even then, he doubted he'd seriously be able to even scratch the skin of one.

He interlocked his fingers, staring at his laptop screen which currently showed a satellite image of the entirety of Britain. Even his former master did not always work alone; she always had allies and often used underlings to do assignments. But who could he really trust enough to confide in? And more importantly, would he consider training someone to help him, or be his sidekick?

He sighed, putting on his school robes and exiting the Chamber of Secrets.

--

"More detentions?" Harry asked as he saw new scars on Ron's hand.

"Yeah, mate," Ron said with a groan. "Bloody hurts when I even touch them. And a bunch of other guys have got some as well."  
"Isn't it obvious that Professor Umbridge can't take a hint?" Hermione chided. "Even if You-Know-Who appeared in her classroom, I think that she would say it was an illusion."

"We're not exactly learning anything either, are we?" Harry commented. He glanced around and frowned as he saw Ginny fawning over a set of pictures. "Hey, what's Ginny looking at?"

Ron glanced at her and groaned. "Oh, don't worry about her – you should be thankful. Instead of having a crush over you, she's moved on and now has a crush on Batman – 'oh he must be so heroic, swooping in and saving the damsel-in-distress'!" he pretended to gag.

"I thought you liked Batman, Ron?" Harry asked as he grabbed a steak.

"I do, and I think he's doing good work, but to hear Ginny talk about him twenty four hours a day is still a little bit much. I need to ask either Fred or George if they can sell me something to shut her up for a day…"

"Ron Weasley!" Hermione snapped. "That's no way to treat your sister!"

Inwardly Harry groaned. Another groupie? Albeit not a boy-who-lived one, but he WAS Batman, so technically…

"…Not that those photos are good anyway, they're only blurry shots, could be anything, you know…"

"Are you talking about Batman?" a soft, whispery voice asked.

Harry turned around in surprise. He hadn't even noticed her behind them until the last moment!

"Oh, it's only you," Ron groaned. "What is it you want now, loony?"

Harry shot him a dirty look which he ignored, but Luna Lovegood didn't seem to notice. "My dad made him the feature article in the newest edition of the _Quibbler. _He's not really a vampire, you know, he's actually a muggle billionaire whose parents were brutally murdered by a gunman and only recently discovered the wizarding world…"

_That would sound feasible, _Harry mused. _But I'm Batman, not some muggle billionaire. Sounds like it would work in a comic, though._

Ron rolled his eyes. "Sure, Loony. Now why don't you run along and play with your imaginary creatures."

"Ron!" Hermione snapped. "That's not very nice…"

"Oh, it's alright," Luna dismissed. "You'd be surprised at how many people say that."

As she skipped off, humming a merry little tune, Harry observed her out of the corner of his eye.

Her movements were too graceful. Not very noticeable, but it was like a wounded swan's waddle.

Somebody shoved a bag in her way, and Luna gave a small yelp as she tumbled.

Were his eyes deceiving him? She executed a perfect, if awkward roll that evenly moved her centre of gravity before coming back up, dusting herself off and walking away.

Harry's eyes glanced down at the _Quibbler _magazine she had dropped – this was too good an opportunity to miss.

Quickly he got up, running over and grabbing the magazine. "Luna!"

"Yes, Harry?" she turned around, asking curiously.

"You forgot your magazine," he said, handing it to her.

As he handed it to her, he lightly brushed against Luna's mind with a probe.

Normally Harry wouldn't invade somebody's privacy like this, but his curiosity got the better of them.

Harry nearly staggered back as he brushed it ever so lightly.

She wasn't loony – she was completely insane, or she should be.

Her mind was fogged and muddled up completely. It was a total wild storm of furious, uncontrolled energy and stray thoughts and emotions caught up in the whirlwind.

_This is why she's so…odd. Her mind's so…raw! But how is she so graceful?  
_"Thank you very much," Luna said kindly, taking the offered magazine. "But you should read it, I'm sure you'd enjoy it."

As Harry responded, he decided to probe deeper, despite feeling shaky on his feet.

_Okay, what do we have here? Knowledge, thoughts… whoa, this is incredible! _"Sorry, but I don't have time for any light reading, especially with OWLs. But I'm sure it's very interesting – especially with Batman. What do you think of him, by the way?"

_Her equilibrioception _(A/N: for the general audience, it's sense of balance) _is amazing! The responsiveness…and it's all too muddled up to be channeled properly…_

"I think that anybody who dressed up as a giant bat and goes around beating Death Eaters would be very interesting to talk to," Luna stated simply.

"Anything else?" Harry pressed.

"Well I wouldn't know, even with daddy's article I still don't know very much about him, do I? If I saw him then I could read him," Luna said simply.

Harry's eyes widened. "What?"

"Oh, it's simple really." She shivered slightly. "When I see someone move, I…I can see things about them. Sometimes it's really small, sometimes they're emotions, sometimes I can see nothing at all. But even so…"

Harry politely said goodbye to her and left, although his mind was whirring. Although his master's style involved reading and predicting an opponent based on their movements, facial expressions and body language, it took him over two years before he even started to do so on a basic level. And here was one, who claimed she could see emotions as well! Only his master was able to see emotions – nobody, not even he, although he had improved greatly over the years in reading body language, was able to do this on such an intuitive level.

There was supposedly even one, who went insane and committed suicide because of this unique branch of martial arts. She went too deeply into an opponent, and overwhelmed by his anger, stabbed herself with a sword afterwards, distressed by what she saw.

--

James Gordon rubbed his eyes.

Paperwork was the most boring task in the entirety of the Auror service. Filing a detailed report after each and every case was dull, and even worse procrastinating it would usually mean you would spend longer hours at night.

"Late night?"

Jim nearly jumped in his seat as he spun around to see the caped crusader watching him from the shadows, form covered in darkness but pale white eyes clear. "Can you stop doing that?" he groaned, tucking his wand back into its holster.

"I need all information pertaining to the Lovegood family copied from the archives," Batman stated. As to the point as he usually was.

The veteran Auror quickly scrambled up a quill and a parchment, jotting down a brief note to remind him.

Although he was one of the most experienced and skilled in the corps, accumulating over hard fifteen years in the service, he had never been considered for a high promotion.

Perhaps it was the fact he was muggle-born.

Being contacted by a costumed vigilante was a big shock, especially one dressed as a giant bat, but whoever he was, he was getting results.

Results that the corps seemed to be incompetent in getting.

A lot of the Aurors were dirty – that was clear. And justice still had to be served.

So he had become an ally, in a way – more an information-provider, no-questions-asked.

He folded the parchment. "When do you…?"

James Gordon looked up to see he was talking to thin air.

--

"Preposterous!" Fudge burst out as he stormed through the Ministry upper floors. "Absolutely preposterous! There is no possible way that Lucius Malfoy can be a Death Eater!"

Amelia Bones, head of Magical Law Enforcement, groaned as she rubbed her forehead unconsciously – this was going to be a long conversation. "But Minister, you must consider the facts before you – he was found at the scene of the attack on Azkaban, with the Dark Mark, and confessed under Veritaserum that he was a follower of You-Know-Who, and also," she looked sharply at him. "He was using his fortune to manipulate the Ministry into a weaker position. Does that clear it up for you?"

Fudge's face went beet-red. "Completely inconceivable! I'm sure there's a clear explanation for all of this…"

"Including the Veritaserum?" Madame Bones interrupted.

"Yes, yes, of course!" Fudge said, waving his hand, obviously not listening. "Mr. Malfoy is an honourable member of magical society – he would not dare…"  
"Lucius Malfoy is scheduled to go to trial by next week," Amelia replied.

"NO!" Fudge cried a bit too quickly. "That will not do – release Lucius at once!"

Amelia inwardly groaned – this was going to be a VERY long conversation.

--

"Ah, yes, the Lestranges," Voldemort said silkily as the two brothers bowed before him. "I am most pleased that you did not renounce me."

"We would rather die than renounce you, my lord!" Rodolphus declared.

"That in itself has become clear, and you will, in time, be honoured for it." Voldemort replied as the brothers went back to their positions in the Death Eater Inner Circle, but still kneeling. "And my dear, dear Bella…"

"I always knew you would come back, my lord!" Bellatrix said, kissing the hem of his robes. "Would you like me to go torture some muggles for you?"  
"Perhaps later, Bella," Voldemort said with amusement as he stroked her cheek fondly, like an owner stroking a favourite pet.

As Bellatrix returned to her position, Voldemort looked at his Inner Circle. "Now here all of us stand as one, at our full strength as we once were in the previous war. However…" his red eyes scanned over the missing positions. "Many of us are missing. Several of our Inner Circle were captured in that breakout. Why was I not immediately informed?"  
"My lord," Snape spoke up, making sure to keep his mind well-shielded. "Although the plan went perfectly, there was one…unexpected variable: Batman."

There were sharp intakes of breath from a majority of the Death Eaters. His name had become the embodiment of fear, and he generated almost greater fear than the Dark Lord himself.

Voldemort looked at them all coldly. "Batman will be dealt with in due time. However, if I ever hear that name uttered in conjunction with failure again…" he raised his wand. "This is my one and only warning."

The threat was clear in every Death Eater's mind.

--

Batman quietly slipped into the Lovegood house, his camouflage system activated.

It was really quite a simple camouflage, and didn't use any magical methods. Instead, the fibres on his suit were built in such a way that they could shift to refract light to go around him. That was why even magical methods, such as Moody's eye, couldn't see him. He was technically still there, but light was being bent around him.

Batman really didn't know why he had taken such an interest into the Lovegoods' affairs. But after probing Luna's mind, discovering the unusual storm clouding her thoughts and perception and reading about the plight of her mother, he was initially quite suspicious.

It seemed too odd, that a bright and talented witch such as Lady Lovegood (Lady was really her first name, but it wasn't as eccentric as Xenophilius), would make such a basic mistake in spell experimentation.

According to the report filed by an Auror who was now retired, Lady Lovegood was attempting to create an electrical-based spell that could be used, in the absence of magic, to power muggle appliances. When she attempted it, the microwave oven exploded, sending shrapnel ripping through her body. She died quite a painful death due to one of the shards ripping through an artery.

Batman entered the lab underneath the main building. Spell-makers usually used labs like this, separate from their residence, so that in the event of an emergency the labs could be isolated and cut off.

He glanced around the lab, recalling the photo which he had memorised tucked away into the report.

It appeared the lab had been tidied, although there were still scorch marks which were permanently etched into the wall a layer of dust covered everything.

Batman detached a slide from his utility belt, pressing a button on it and laying it down – the slide enlarged into a crime-kit, which carried many muggle-tools for recording and discovering evidence.

Aurors were too dependent on their wands. The Aurors who had found the lab had made a clumsy job – they didn't even collect the evidence, merely assumed it was an accident and went away.

To an average observer, it would seem like an accident, but Batman was quite seasoned in the art, being educated by some of the best in the world, and had a sixth sense which told him something was amiss.

And something was.

Taking a strange, probe-like instrument from his kit, he gently dabbed at the scorch marks, and was unsurprised to see that it didn't come off – it was permanently on the wall, even a cleaning charm wouldn't take it off now, he hypothesized.

Which brought the second question – what caused an explosion strong enough to leave permanent scorch marks in the wall?

Batman glanced around before walking across the room and picking up the remnants of the microwave oven.

He took a bulky, hand-held device from his kit and turned it on before aiming it at the microwave oven.

The scanner took a few moments as a dim red laser beam registered the object, taking in its size, dimensions and current properties.

Batman then took the memory chip from the scanner, and inserted it into a slot on his belt.

Within an instant a full readout appeared on his visor.

It was a popular Philips microwave oven, well popular for that year, anyway. How could a common microwave oven explode randomly?

Batman moved to the desk, feet seemingly gliding over the floor as he quickly and systematically rifled through it.

Old newspaper clips, a photo of the family, broken quills, scrunched-up Arithmancy equations… wasn't there anything useful?

Suddenly he pulled out a large stack of parchment. As he scanned it briefly, he realised that these were detailed notes on a majority of spells that Mrs. Lovegood had created.

As he flicked through them, he found the spell that had caused this whole mess.

Batman's white eyes narrowed as he looked at the Arithmancy equations. There was nothing wrong with them – nothing at all. In fact, the equations were quite simple and straightforward, therefore Mrs. Lovegood would have had nothing to worry about. Then how did she die?  
The dark knight realised he would get no more answers from this place – he picked up the microwave oven on his way out – that might give more answers.


End file.
